title: Dengue fever mimicking acute appendicitis: A case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dengue fever is an acute viral disease, which usually presents as a mild febrile illness. Patients with severe disease present with dengue haemorrhagic fever or dengue toxic shock syndrome. Rarely, it presents with abdominal symptoms mimicking acute appendicitis. We present a case of a male patient presenting with right iliac fossa pain and suspected acute appendicitis that was later diagnosed with dengue fever following a negative appendicectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 13-year old male patient presented with fever, localized right-sided abdominal pain and vomiting. Abdominal ultrasound was not helpful and appendicectomy was performed due to worsening abdominal signs and an elevated temperature. A normal appendix with enlarged mesenteric nodes was found at surgery. Complete blood count showed thrombocytopenia with leucopenia. Dengue fever was now suspected and confirmed by IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against dengue virus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This unusual presentation of dengue fever mimicking acute appendicitis should be suspected during viral outbreaks and in patients with atypical symptoms and cytopenias on blood evaluation in order to prevent unnecessary surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This case highlights the occurrence of abdominal symptoms and complications that may accompany dengue fever. Early recognition of dengue fever mimicking acute appendicitis will avoid non-therapeutic operation and the diagnosis may be aided by blood investigations indicating a leucopenia, which is uncommon in patients with suppurative acute appendicitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. Electronic address: michaelm500@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: M E C
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: McFarlane
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Plummer
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Leake
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chand
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tulloch
keywords: Acute abdomen; Acute appendicitis; Dengue fever; Leucopenia